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Tag Archives: politics
La Mulți Ani: A Tentative and Cautionary Birthday Wish for the USA
Yesterday, I read in a news article shared on Facebook that Disney has decided to change the opening announcement at its Magic Kingdom fireworks show. The original greeting began, “Good evening, ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, dreamers of all … Continue reading
Posted in America, Bill of Rights, critical thinking, culture, current events, divisiveness, education, free speech, freedom, history, hope, language, politics
Tagged America, First Amendment, Fourth of July, free speech, history, hope, identity, Independence Day, language, politics
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Even at the grave we make our song . . .
. . . but not during the Paschal celebration of the Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ–at least in the Episcopal Church.
A Hot Dog Is a Sandwich
Every semester, staff and instructors at FTCC are allowed to take one class free of charge, and I almost always try to take advantage of that wonderful opportunity. This semester I am taking a class in critical thinking offered by … Continue reading
Posted in critical thinking, education, freedom, language, literature, politics, totalitarianism, word, writing
Tagged definition, language, literature, mot juste, Orwell, politics, word, writing
4 Comments
Dostoevsky in Beulah Land
Despite the glorious, almost too-warm temperatures for a day six weeks into autumn, I took off for my late-morning walk with a heavy heart. I was depressed, outraged, and frightened over lost hopes for a return to American values, a … Continue reading
Posted in current events, divisiveness, hope, photography, politics
Tagged hope, meaning, photography, politics
3 Comments
My #WalkAway Story
As I write, the Presidential election of 2020 is ten days away. I agree with those on both sides of the aisle that it is the most important election at least in my lifetime (which is long); I will not, … Continue reading
Posted in Bill of Rights, critical thinking, current events, divisiveness, education, First Amendment, free speech, freedom, history, politics
Tagged #WalkAway, conservative, education, election, First Amendment, free speech, history, liberal, politics, Trump, Trump/Pence, voting
15 Comments
Everything Not Forbidden Is Compulsory
When I first passed this sign yesterday morning on the way to class, I thought it was an instruction in etiquette: “Don’t sit here because this is a table, and sitting on tables is rude.” Silly me.
Posted in Bill of Rights, books, COVID-19, critical thinking, current events, divisiveness, education, First Amendment, free speech, freedom, history, language, literature, news, novel coronavirus, politics, society, totalitarianism
Tagged books, COVID-19, education, etymology, First Amendment, free speech, history, language, literature, meaning, novel coronavirus, Orwell, politics, social distancing, word, writing
2 Comments
Misinterpreting Emerson: A Meditation on Consistency, the Constitution, and American Exceptionalism
When I first started working as a disability examiner for Social Security, we had no desktop computers, just Wang terminals; nor could we communicate via email, just intraoffice messaging whose default was “reply all.” Hence, I established a wide reputation … Continue reading
Sloganeering: Fake Language Is the Problem–Not Fake News
I have not posted anything on my blog since September 21–over a month ago, my longest dry spell since I began it in May of 2016. Significantly, this hiatus coincides quite neatly with the weeks that have elapsed since the … Continue reading
Posted in critical thinking, current events, language, politics
Tagged definition, language, politics, semantics, word
2 Comments
Yellow Fleas
The end of Reconstruction in 1877 gave birth to the Solid South. In both Presidential and state politics, the South retained its essentially single-party identity until the passage of the Civil Right Act in 1964. During that time, Southerners would … Continue reading
Posted in current events, education, free speech, history, language, news, politics, sexual harassment
Tagged discrimination, education, First Amendment, free speech, history, identity, politics, religion
2 Comments